The release of Marshall illustrates the negatives for players in regards to the June 1 rule for acceleration. When August rolls around and teams get a full look at other players the cash aspect of a contract plays a major role in the decision making process. When you release a player after June 1 acceleration from future contract years is allocated to the following NFL season rather than the current league year. Unless a player has guaranteed salary in his contract a team will save his entire salary and in no manner compromise the teams cap.

When they know the player has little long term value to the club the decision becomes quite simple in August once they realize his replacement is on the roster. Cutting him in August or next March has the same dead money charge in 2014. If the player is close to equal with a lower cost player the team is better off saving the base salary for the current league year than playing him and cutting him the following season. In the next two weeks many veterans will likely fall victim to the same circumstances. Most will be offered substantial pay cuts to keep their positions, a difficult decision to make. .